Container for bottles and like vessels



Oct. 8, 1935. J. M. CROSS CONTAINER FOR BOTTLES AND LIKE VESSELS Filed Sept. 6, 1934 Jae]: M. Cross, Q/Z ZM Patented Oct. 8, 1935 UNITED stares esrsur OFFICE CONTAINER FOR BOTTLES AND LIKE VESSELS Application September 6, 1934, Serial No. 742,982

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to improvements in containers for bottles and like vessels, and is particularly intended for protecting the same against unauthorized opening while permitting 5 inspection of the mouth and adjacent portions of the vessel with the container in position therearound.

One of the features of the present invention is the provision of a container for such a vessel,

which may be simply constructed and assembled about the vessel and has an inspection aperture extending over the mouth and closure of the vessel.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a simply and easily constructed container which includes means by which parts thereof may be disengaged easily and simply for releasing the enclosed vessel.

A further feature of the present invention is the provision of a container with a maximum surface for the reception of advertising and like matter, and in which the vertical edges are stiffened and supported and a large surface area is protected by the seams employed for joining the parts of the container.

With these and other features of the invention in view, an illustrative form of practicing the invention is shown on the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front or face elevation of the container, a sealed and stamped bottle being indicated in position therein.

Fig. 2 is a top plan of the same.

Figs. 3 and 4 are respective side elevations.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view corresponding to a part of Fig. 4, after an opening operation has been performed on the container.

In this drawing, the container is comprised of two symmetrical (here identical) face walls ID and H which illustratively are constructed as sheet metal blanks having normal seaming flanges at their peripheries. The shape and size of the blank is constructed and arranged in correspondence with the shape and size of the vessel to be enclosed thereby, this vessel in the illustrated form being a sealed and stamped Whiskey bottle of elongated horizontal cross-sectional shape and having flat faces and bottom, and inclined shoulders leading to the neck and mouth portion thereof.

The side, top, and bottom walls of the container are comprised of a single piece of sheet metal l2 conformed to the shape of the face walls and having the usual flanges for seaming 5 with the flanges of the face walls. This piece of material i2 is illustrated as being a narrow strip of sheet metal with the ends overlapped, said overlapped ends are joined by a side seam of the usual construction which is indicated at lid in Figure 4 of the drawing. The outer end 5 at the overlap has a central tongue portion [3 which lies flat upon the underlying strip and at the overlap. The piece of material i2 is scored during manufacture at the inclined lines I 4 (Fig. 4) leading from the edges of the tongue I3, which join the linearly extending scoring lines I5 located near the seams which join the body walls and the piece l2. These lines l5 are illustrated as extending from near the junction of an inclined shoulder with a side wall, and continue along the inclined shoulder portion of the container, across the top, and down upon the opposite side (Fig. 3) where they may be joined by the scoring line 16 adjacent the junction of the other shoulder with its corresponding side 20 wall.

The piece of material I2 has an elongated aperture ll formed therein and extending-across the top of the bottle and down along the inclined shoulders of the container. The width of this slot is less than the width of the bottle closure, so that the closure cannot be withdrawn while the container is in position. It will be noted from the drawing that the container preferably fits the bottle closely so that there is no endwise play between the two.

The container is particularly adapted for bottles of whiskey and like substances where revenue stamps or like matter carrying indicia must be placed directly upon the bottle and extend across the mouth and closure thereof. The slot I l permits close inspection of the stamp, etc., at any time, for verifying the validity of this stamp and the integrity of the package.

The container may be provided in semi-assembled form, by joining one of the face walls ill with the piece l2. The bottle is filled and closed, and the revenue stamp applied, and it is then in- 'serted in the semi-assembled container structure which is then completed by placing and seaming the other face wall I l in position. The assembled container now protects the bottle so that the latter cannot be opened without so distorting the container as to reveal the fact of tampering.

When it is desired to open the bottle, a normal ripping key is applied to the tongue l3 in the usual manner, and the rip strip formed by the lines M, l 5, and i6 is torn out in the usual way, for exposing the end of the bottle. Since the scoring lines l5 are close to the seams, the bottle may be grasped and withdrawn by a slight distortion of the upper portions of the walls 10 and l I and their seams. The lines l5 preferably extend as illustrated for the entire inclined shoulder and top portions of the piece l2, so that the walls Ill and H bend easily.

The structure permits the employment of lithographed or other advertising and labelmatter for substantially the entire area of the face walls I0 and l I within the seams thereof, and likewise the major portion of the piece I2 is adapted to receive advertising matter if so desired.

It is'obvious that the invention is not limited to the form of construction shown, but that it may be employed in many Ways within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A container for enclosing a flat bottle or like vessel having a neck portion and a closure cap to which is attached a revenue stamp, comprising parallel side walls spaced to receive the bottle fiatwise therebetween, a metal strip extending around the bottle and joined to the peripheral edge portions of said parallel side walls by double seaming, said strip having the ends thereof joined by a side seam so as to provide a projecting tearing strip disposed adjacent one shoulder of the bottle, said strip being scored along lines parallel and adjacent the double seam and extending from said seam joining the ends of the strip substantially to the other shoulder of the bottle, so that said strip may be torn away in a region extending from one shoulder to the other to permit the removal of the bottle, said strip in the region of the closure for the bottle having an opening therethrough so that the revenue stamp may be viewed without rupturing the container.

JACK M. CROSS. 

